01.09.19

FDA Approved Record Number of Drugs in 2018

Source: Medscape

Last year was a banner year for the FDA, with 59 new drugs approved by the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), including 19 first-in-class agents, 34 novel drugs for rare diseases, and a record seven biosimilars, according to a report in Medscape.

The 59 drug approvals in 2018 are the most in more than 10 years; 46 new drugs were approved in 2017, and 22 were approved in 2016. Between 2009 and 2017, the CDER averaged about 33 novel drug approvals per year.